


Pets and Purrs

by chinchillasinunison



Series: Lord of the Flies Monster AU [2]
Category: Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Fluff, Light Petting, Multi, Short One Shot, idk if that tag's like a secret sex thing but i don't mean it like that fam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-01-18
Packaged: 2019-03-06 06:28:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13405401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chinchillasinunison/pseuds/chinchillasinunison
Summary: Simon dealing with some post-monster-transformation feelings with the help of Ralph and Piggy. With some good pets. Also, he discovers that he can purr, so that's something.





	Pets and Purrs

Simon sat, back hunched, at the edge of the lagoon, staring out at the azure surface with a certain pensive detachment. It warped and rippled as a slender golden figure weaved about the rocks and coral beneath. Simon couldn't help but give a scant grin. Ralph was getting much better at swimming now, and knew it, as he was clearly showing off. He supposed he had to be better at it, really, given what happened to him. Regardless of how much Ralph's pride amused him, however, Simon's little smile faded quickly as he spotted the tip of his tail twitching from the corner of his eye.

A scaly head bobbed up and broke the surface of the water, and orange eyes looked up at him playfully.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about?” Ralph asked, resting his head in his hands, elbows perched on the rocks.

Gosh, that face. That adorable face. Even though it was more fish now than boy, it still somehow kept Ralph’s good looks, if not in their traditional sense. Simon couldn't stand it.

“Nothing… something… e-everything…” he rambled in reply. Ralph always made him tongue-tied.

The fish-boy traced his claw lightly up and down Simon's forearm, observing the grooves he made in the brown fur.

“It’s hard for you, isn't it? The change, I mean.”

Simon didn't answer, because the answer was obvious. He had three extra appendages to get used to, one he barely understood that seemed to have a mind of its own, and two he couldn't even conceptualize how to control. Not to mention how he had to adjust to being quadrupedal, and all the sensory overload he now occasionally experienced due to his keener eyes, ears, and nose. Yes, it was, indeed, quite hard, but Simon wasn't one to openly complain.

“I guess…”

Ralph frowned a little, able to tell there was much more to Simon's thought process than just “I guess.” He looked down at Simon's paw, then looked up at his face and grinned cheekily.

“Do you wanna know a secret?” He beckoned him to lean in closer to the water, “C’mere, I’ll tell you!”

Simon drew his head close to the surface, and Ralph hopped up, slung both arms around his neck and dunked Simon into the lagoon. After some bewildered doggy paddling Simon hauled his soaked body onto the rocks, Ralph laughing hardily. Simon, face hot underneath his fur, quickly slunk away.

“Oh, c’mon Simon, I was just playing around!” He called, “It's a joke! I just wanted to make you…”

Ralph’s voice faded away as he spoke, and soon he shamefully sank back beneath the waves.

Simon only went a very short distance, just near the trees, under one of which Piggy was lounging. Only now starting to feel the chilling effects of being sopping wet, he shook his whole body in an attempt to dry, as a regular puma might, he supposed. Well, excluding those wings on his back, which he unintentionally opened in the exercise. Great. Now he had to figure out how to close them again…

He turned his head and saw the bright red form of Piggy, who was absolutely drenched.

“Oh! S… sorry…” he apologized shyly, cords of black hair falling back over one of his eyes.

Piggy made a dismissive but still positive hand gesture, indicating there was no need to apologise. Then he pointed to Simon's dripping, outstretched wings, then to himself, then mimed wrapping himself up in a blanket or something of the like.

One of Simon's ears crooked in confusion, “What...?”

Piggy’s expression gave off hints of frustration, and he pointed up to the sun, then made a gesture of wiping sweat off his forehead, then pointed back to the wings.

“Oh.” Simon said after he spent a few seconds piecing it together, “You're hot. My wings are wet, so they're cool. And you want me to…”

Piggy nodded.

Gosh, things were so much easier between them when Piggy could talk. He remembered Jack joking on the first day about how Piggy's muteness meant that this monster transformation thing wasn't all bad, but Simon had to disagree. He could barely get a grasp on normal conversations, so all these games of charades were a nightmare.

He maneuvered his body as to squeeze his wing, which he still didn't know how to bend, behind his friend. Piggy grabbed the end of it and bent it for Simon, curling it around himself like a big feathery curtain. He laid up against Simon’s body and enjoyed the cool, dark, moist environment he invented for himself.

If Piggy had lungs anymore, maybe he would’ve sighed happily. But he didn't, so all Simon felt was the warm mass of gelatin slowly cooling and conversely heating his big cat body up.

It seemed so strange to him that Piggy knew exactly what to do to care for himself in this form, so that he didn't melt or dry up. Piggy was so quick on his feet in that way. He admired it. As a sphinx, one of those grand Egyptian mythical beasts, Simon guessed he was supposed to be wise, but he still had trouble with even the basics of grooming and preening, which didn't seem very wise to him at all. Speaking of…

Simon made a few attempts to lick off the salt and sand from his coat, but stop the endeavor just as soon as it began. It just felt… gross…

He distracted himself by trying to close his unoccupied wing. It took some concentration to get it moving, but when it did, he could fold it up to his side with ease. It was really just a matter of remembering where they were on his body and how they worked. Then again, it wasn't like that was exactly simple…

After a long while, Simon felt his fur and feathers finally drying despite the shade, and he unwrapped Piggy. The jelly boy gave him a quick hug as a thank you, and Simon got a good whiff of that artificial cherry flavor and salivated a little. He couldn't help it, even if he knew how wrong and disgusting it was to think like that about what was very much still a sentient being, and one whom he cared for dearly. It was merely a biological reaction on his part, however, not an actual articulate thought.

But, goodness, did he miss candy…

Simon yawned and stretched out in a typical cat fashion, rump in the air and front paws sticking out ahead him. He stretched out in the other direction and then settled down on his belly. The sun was setting now, and the air was getting cooler in anticipation of nightfall. He still had a human sleep cycle despite all his other changes, thankfully.

His chin rested on his paws, he was about to fall asleep when some scaly feet with webbed toes sauntered into view. Simon craned his head up and saw Ralph carrying a large pile of fish. He let a few fall off the pile in front of Simon, then sat down beside him, opposite to Piggy, and put down the rest.

“Look, I’m sorry about what I did earlier. I saw you looking sad and I was just trying to cheer you up…”

“Ralph… I don't care about it now, really. It’s fine. You just spooked me a little.”

Ralph hadn't planned on what to say next, so he looked down at the pile and took a fish in his hands. Simon's ears swiveled back as he heard Ralph slurping up the raw flesh.

“You’re just… going right at it, then?”

Ralph took a break from his food. “I'm experimenting. I don't know how much human I really still am, you know, if at all. People are the only ones who cook their meat. If I get sick, at least we'll know I’ve still got a human stomach.”

Piggy silently shook his head. Simon would give anything to hear his commentary on that decision, or any of his commentary at all. He missed it.

He turned to Ralph.

“I mean, yeah, that too, but without anybody else?”

“Eh, I’ll blow the conch in a bit. Not now, though. I don't want to deal with them yet. This is our time now.”

Simon felt his face grow hot again and he quickly looked away in embarrassment. He hated how easily flustered he could get. His attention drew to the fish in front of him and he slowly gnashed a few down. He was so thankful for Ralph. He wouldn't have the courage to hunt for himself, and he certainly didn't want to rely on Jack Merridew now that he was stuck as a strict carnivore. That was one of his first worries after they transformed, but Ralph had him covered. He had a lot of them covered, actually, even Jack himself. For you see, the changes to Jack's anatomy, mainly his lack of hands, left him back at square one when it came to hunting abilities, while Ralph now had attributes that made him a stellar ocean predator. That currently cast Ralph into the role of the group provider instead, much to Jack's chagrin. Simon found it ironic, considering before he was the one who said that they didn't need meat to survive, and now that many of them did he was the only one up to the task.

Simon licked the blood from his chops, and looked over pleadingly to Ralph. His new body needed so many more calories. Ralph tossed him three more fish.

“Hey, Simon,” he queried as the sphinx chowed down, “what do you think’ll happen when we get rescued?”

He lifted his head from his meal and stated simply, “We’ll be rescued.” He resumed eating.

Ralph pouted his puffy fish lips.

“No, I mean... what’d happen after? Look at us. No person’s ever seen the likes of us before. What if they find us and they get scared? What if they run away and leave us alone again? Wh-what if they shot at us…?”

His tone was filling more and more with dread as he imagined each scenario. Simon, immediately sensing Ralph’s distress, twisted around to face him.

“Ralph,” he spoke calmly, “it's okay to be worried about that sort of thing. You’re not wrong. What we're going through is weird and scary, and it's never happened before. We don't know what will happen, we never do, and it's natural to be afraid of that. But not right now. Not here, on this island. We have bigger, closer fish to fry. It's like you said before: it's our time now.”

Ralph sniffled a little and nodded. The air hung silent for a few minutes, stars above twinkling with indifference. Piggy started picking at and straightening Simon's feathers to occupy himself.

“Simon?”

Ralph’s voice cut through the air more harshly than he likely intended.

“Yeah?”

Ralph was cautious in his next question.

“Can I... pet you? Y-your fur, I mean. It… it looks soft...”

Simon felt his heart pounding against his ribcage, as if it were trying to break free from his chest and leap out his throat. Piggy went completely still out of shock, but his gelatinous body still quaked slightly in reaction to Simon's frantic heartbeat.

“Umm…”

“Y-you don't have to! I just think I need… I mean, you're like a big kitty cat and… I need… something, Simon. Something nice to have and hold onto. You understand, right?”

Simon crawled and curled up next to him, laying his head across his lap. He couldn't believe he was actually doing this. He’d never thought he'd get this far.

“Of course I do...” he replied, stomach fluttering.

Ralph, perhaps feeling a bit awkward, started slowly. A few short, quick pets, to test the waters. Then, the plushness of the fur tempting him, he gave Simon a few good long strokes down the neck to the shoulders. It was at this point that Piggy got back to work spiffing up the wings, now with a noticeably gentler touch. As it went on longer and longer, a warmth grew inside Simon. He’d never gotten this much attention before, from his peers or otherwise. The bliss building up inside him almost felt like too much, like the dam was about to burst.

And then, it happened. A low rumbling began in his throat, and rolled out of him with each breath. His whole chest was vibrating from it, and Piggy’s whole body was incidentally jiggling along with it.

Ralph stopped petting outright, but still kept his hand on Simon.

“Oh my God,” he giggled, “Simon, you're purring!”

“I'm what?” He piped, so drenched in contentment that he didn't notice at first. Then after he closed his mouth another purr tickled his throat, and his ears pricked in surprise. Well, that would be another thing to add to his ever-growing list of insecurities.

“Oh! I'm-- I’m sorry!” He apologized for the reflex.

Ralph giggled again. “What's there to be sorry for?”

Simon rolled over on his back, looking up at the glimmering starlight.

“I don't know-- it's just-- it's odd. I'm odd. This whole mess we’re in. It's odd. Getting stuck here on an island and turning into monsters. It makes no sense.”

The other two nodded in agreement.

“Yep, it's a riddle, alright,” said Ralph, “but you know what? We can solve it together.”

Simon chuckled softly, “What do you even mean by that?”

Ralph shrugged, “I dunno. Don't sphinxes have a thing for riddles?” He glanced over to Piggy, “That's true, right?”

Piggy pantomimed an eye roll, to which Ralph responded by jokingly pushing him, which momentarily bounced and warped his jelly body in quite the amusing manner. And so the three boys sat about, goofing around and speaking in soft, caring tones throughout the night, until Simon fell asleep and Ralph tiptoed away, to the direction of the lagoon.

Just as he was nearly out of reach, Piggy grabbed him by the leg. When Ralph looked down quizzically, he pointed to the uneaten pile of dead fish.

“Oh, if they really want it, they’ll come here and find it by themselves. Most of them have the sense of smell for that sort of thing now.”

Piggy let him go and watched as he lowered himself back into the water. He then looked down at the pile, shrugged, and started stroking the sleeping Simon on the back, who started kneading at the ground and purring once more.

**Author's Note:**

> so when I posted my last fic in my lotf monster au, Fordofthelies commented about wanting to see the rest of the characters reacting to their new forms. after thinking about that for a bit i decided "yeah i do too" but like i didn't wanna write basically the same fic over again so here. have some monster ralphiggymon fluff.
> 
> In case you don't know, Simon is a sphinx (based on a puma instead of a lion), Ralph is a gill-man (a la "Creature from the Black Lagoon"), and Piggy is a golem made out of cherry-flavored gelatin, which is why he can't talk.


End file.
